CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Two high school football teams from the News 8 viewing region hit the turf in Cedar Falls for Iowa's state semifinals.
That includes North Scott and Wilton. Both teams fell short in their matchups and did not advance to the state championship title games.
North Scott played against the top team in the state on Thursday night. It was the team's third trip to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls in the last five years, including a state championship win in 2020. The Lancers faced off against North Polk in the Class 4A semis and fell 35-7.
"I mean, I'm proud of the guys that are around me," senior Carson Lage said. "People doubted us all year but we stayed together and battled lots of adversity and we made it here which was a huge goal for us. It was really cool to be able to do that."
"I told our kids this isn't football," coach Kevin Tippet said. "It's the relationships they built and the love they have for each other and how much fun they have playing the game and all the good memories they're gonna have. You can't take away the sting tonight, it hurts...but just proud they gutted it out."
Meanwhile, Wilton's football team made its appearance at the state semifinals for the first time ever in school history. The Beavers faced off against the undefeated Grundy Center in the Class 1A semis on Friday morning.
Wilton fell short 42-7 but it was still a historic and memorable day for the team.
"It's funny, like in that one trophy, I feel like it held all the blood, sweat and tears of all the hard work that we've put in over the past four years," senior quarterback Drew Keith said. "I held it up to the crowd because they deserve it too. They were a part of it and they helped us along the way."
"Not everybody was really receptive to this group because they were such a powerful group coming in that I think some people felt threatened by them when they first got here," head coach Ryan Hetzler said. "They just stayed that track and here we are four years later sitting in the Dome."
